Star Sapphire (large bi-color stone)

Item Description

This is a fabulous, large, and notably hard to find bi-color Star Sapphire gem from India. Sapphires are found from many localities worldwide, and they occur virtually every color of the rainbow, but there is more to Sapphires than faceted stones. When it comes to "Star" gems, I think it's safe to say that the most commonly known examples are Star Sapphires. This phenomenon seen in these gem is referred to as "asterism", and it occurs when Sapphires are polished into cabochons and oriented in a manner that reflects tiny silk-like inclusions that are trapped inside the Sapphire. The inclusions bend light entering the Sapphire and create the star-like pattern. A six-rayed white star appears in bright lighting and the quality is judged by sharpness of star, symmetry of the rays, and the body color. This gem has decent quality "legs" which are best seen under strong light to show off the "star". Under strong lighting you can see a beautiful mixture of rich blue and silvery hues on the surface. An impressive large example, well over 100 carats, of this well known material. Valued $3,339.00 retail.